SIM Annual Report 2025 published
News from 11/09/2026
Research, publications, collection work and a varied programme of events: the 2025 Annual Report of the State Institute for Music Research (SIM) provides an insight into the Institute’s academic activities and developments over the past year.
One of the highlights was the completion of the four-volume series *History of Musical Interpretation in the 19th and 20th Centuries*. At the same time, new research projects were launched, including studies on recording studios in Berlin between 1900 and 1945, on orchestral rehearsal practices in the 19th century, and on cultural exchange between the GDR and Latin America.
Research and further development were also central to the work of the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM): new outreach formats such as ‘Meet the Maker’, ‘Meet the Musician’ and ‘Music in the Dark’ opened up different ways of engaging with the collection. New educational initiatives as part of the ‘sense:ability’ research project – including an interactive station and a media station dedicated to the Mighty Wurlitzer – provide further ways to engage with the collection. Furthermore, the collection was expanded through new acquisitions, and work on a collection development plan was advanced.
The library and the Bibliography of Music Literature (BMS) continued their work as key research infrastructures. By the end of 2025, the BMS had recorded just under 500,000 records.
In 2025, the Acoustics and Music Technology Department focused on the interplay between music, space and transmission. Two experimental concerts explored different aspects: ‘Musica Bizarra’ enabled a comparison of various forms of concert transmission; Triple Helix explored the interplay between piano, live electronics and three-dimensional sound projection. Both projects opened up new perspectives on listening to and experiencing music in different performance contexts.
Alongside the academic work, numerous concerts, symposia, lectures and outreach programmes shaped the year. The annual report thus documents the diverse activities of the SIM and the collaboration within the institute as well as with national and international partners.
The 2025 Annual Report is available as a digital publication on SPKtrum.